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The No. 1-ranked Emory volleyball team battled and clawed its way to a five-set win over No. 5 Christopher Newport Friday evening in a quarterfinal round match of the NCAA Championships in Saint Louis.  The Eagles brought home their 18^th straight win and in the process upped their overall record to 35-4 following a 20-25, 25-20, 25-23, 23-25, 15-11 decision over the Captains who saw their season come to a close at 38-3.

There were standouts galore for the Eagles with sophomore Breanah Bourque leading the offensive attack with a match-high 19 kills, tying her career high, and finishing with a squad-best 28.8 hitting percentage (19-4—52).  Bourque was one of four players to post double-digits in terminations with junior Jessica McAlvany picking up 14, senior Amelia McCall 12 and junior Ali Wright 10.  Junior setter Natalie Schonefeld turned in yeoman’s work, dishing out 50 assists and contributing seven digs.

Emory hit 21.1 percent for the match (67-26—194) with the team’s total attack attempts tying the 14^th-highest total in school history.  Christopher Newport ended the evening hitting 18.6 percent (56-24—172) and finished with an 83-80 edge in digs and a 14-0 advantage in total blocks.  Freshman Molly Landers shined on the defensive side of things for Emory, registering 30 digs, a personal best and the sixth-highest individual total in school history. 

In the deciding fifth set, the teams were deadlocked at 6-6 before Emory a timely 4-0 run, highlighted by kills from McCall and Wright, to lay claim to a 10-6 lead.  The Eagles used a kill by Bourque to take a 13-9 margin and when CNU scored the next point, another put-away by Bourque put the Eagles on the verge of nailing down the match.  The Captains hung on after a kill by Kara Elder, one of her 15 on the night, but Schonefeld iced the outcome with a successful attack opportunity that allowed Emory to play on Saturday.  The win was the team’s sixth in seven decisions this year in matches that have gone to five sets.

Emory will take on fellow University Athletic Association member and host of the NCAA Championships, Washington University, ranked No. 3 in the nation and defending Division III national champs, in the semifinals.  The Bears, 35-3 on the year, defeated New York University, 3-0, in the quarterfinals Friday evening.  Emory and Wash U., have split two meetings this season with the Bears claiming a 3-1 win on Oct. 16 and Emory a 3-1 verdict in the UAA Championship match on November 6.